Info about The Stalin Subway: Red Veil:

Official game description:
REMEDIUM: SENTINELS - OUT NOW!
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SCHOLAR OF THE ARCANE ARTS - OUT NOW IN EARLY ACCESS
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About the Game
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With the death of Stalin, all those who surrounded him, are now fighting for the supreme power and control over the nation. Lena, our heroine, has found that her husband has been kidnapped and possibly murdered. She has no clue about who did it, but she knows whom to ask.  
The Stalin Subway: Red Veil brings an exciting continuation to the storyline of this saga, with many new locations, all of them based on the Moscow of 50s. Never before a game reproduced with such realism the capital of Russia, from the subway stations of the world-known underground of this city, to famous places like the Red Square.  
*   Indoor and outdoor locations created following real designs of the 50s. The subway stations will be based on the real ones as well as emblematic places of the city like the Red Square.  
*   Improved AI makes enemies more dangerous and cunning.  
*   Defend yourself on the streets of Moscow, even on vehicles while you try to discover where your husband is.  
*   Authentic weaponry.

Release date: Oct 24, 2014

Categories: First-Person Shooter, Single-player, Historical Setting, Linear Progression, Manual Saving, Realistic Weapon Mechanics, Cold War Setting, High Difficulty


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $1.99 - $2.99
  - Reasoning: Reviews indicate that $3 is considered too expensive for this game, while sale prices of $1-2 are acceptable, and under $1 is a good deal. This suggests the community expects a base price below $3, likely between $2 and $2.50, but the exact threshold is unclear. The evidence supports a fair base price range of roughly $1.99-$2.99, with $2.99 being the upper limit before complaints arise.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 2.0h
  - Story completion: 1.8h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The majority of reviews consistently report completion times around 1.5-2 hours for a standard playthrough, with speedrun estimates under 1 hour. One outlier claims 4-6 hours but notes it depends on luck with combat, likely due to the game's unfair difficulty. Thus, gameCompletion is estimated at 2 hours as a typical total, and storyCompletion (main path without extra struggling) at 1.75 hours. Session length is not specified, and endgame content is not mentioned.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Reviews are split: some find the multiplayer fun while others criticize the game as unbalanced, repetitive, and with obsolete features, preventing a clear time-to-fun pattern.
  - Stance: Mixed
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: repetitive enemy encounters; long corridors; unbalanced gameplay; repetitive maps; obsolete multiplayer armor indicator
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: N/A
- Player Archetypes:
  - Ironical Enjoyer (sale)
    - Motivation: Ironic enjoyment and curiosity about low-quality or bizarre game experiences.
    - Playstyle: Willing to play despite flaws, often on easy or normal; tolerates jankiness.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Positive Recommender (buy)
    - Motivation: Genuine enjoyment of specific gameplay features (weapon mechanics, multiplayer, level design, character choice) and connection to the series.
    - Playstyle: Prefers easy mode due to difficulty, enjoys multiplayer, and appreciates inventive combat areas and weapon mechanics.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: The Stalin Subway
  - Critical Detractor (no buy)
    - Motivation: Frustration with technical issues, poor design, and lack of content.
    - Playstyle: Not applicable - they do not find the game enjoyable; likely tried it but found it unplayable.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Satisfying shooting mechanics (weight 0.32): Shooting mechanics are dynamic with realistic recoil, satisfying gunplay, good weapon sounds, and interesting bullet physics including ricochet.
- Low price point (weight 0.2): The game is cheap and worth buying at a discount, with a low price of around two dollars.
- Acceptable old-school graphics (weight 0.2): Graphics are described as acceptable for an old-school game, getting the job done, and good for 2006.
- Added animals and weapons (weight 0.18): Animals are added to the game, including pigeons, rats, cats that explode when shot, and new weapons like flamethrower and molotov.
- Short game length (weight 0.17): Multiple reviewers note the game is short, with some seeing it as a positive. The shorter length is compared to the first game.
- Old-school FPS feeling (weight 0.16): The game provides an old-school FPS feeling with tense gunfights and focus on gameplay.
- Unique Cold War setting (weight 0.16): The Cold War setting, Soviet theme, and conspiratorial narrative create a special mood.
- Improved over predecessor (weight 0.13): The game is considered better than its predecessor, with improved weapon handling.
- Soviet weapon variety (weight 0.13): Variety of Soviet-era weapons with realistic body-part damage and critical hit system.
- Good level design (weight 0.12): Level design, especially the rooftop level, is beautiful and inventive.
- Soviet atmosphere appealing (weight 0.12): Soviet architecture and the oppressive post-war atmosphere are appealing and well-preserved.
- Convenient save features (weight 0.12): Convenient features like one-button fast retry, manual saving, and quick save/load help gameplay.
- Fun Red Square driving (weight 0.09): Driving in Red Square and shooting communists is a highlighted fun gameplay element.
- Trading cards value (weight 0.09): Trading cards can offset or refund the game cost when bought at a discount.
- Mission variety (weight 0.09): Mission variety includes stealth, scripted sequences, escort, and car shootout.
- Great environment design (weight 0.09): Great graphics and creepy environment design with brush-based buildings.
- Similar physics to first (weight 0.08): Physics are similar to the first game and considered not bad.
- Immersive atmosphere details (weight 0.08): Immersive elements like unarmed soldiers and overhearing conversations add to the atmosphere.
- Great Red Square music (weight 0.05): Music on the Red Square level is great.
- Fun multiplayer mode (weight 0.05): Fun multiplayer mode with 3 maps is available.

Common complaints:
- Worse than first game (weight 0.25): Reviewers state the game is worse than the first part, with significantly lower volume, quality, and only about a quarter of the length of the original game.
- Voice acting is terrible (weight 0.24): The voice acting is consistently criticized as atrocious, absurdly bad, and even hilariously awful, contributing to a poor overall presentation.
- Gameplay is too short (weight 0.24): The game is very short, often under an hour, and much shorter than the first game, leaving players disappointed.
- Enemies spawn behind player (weight 0.18): Enemies repeatedly spawn directly behind the player, creating constant unfair situations that frustrate gameplay.
- Game is too hard (weight 0.18): The game is almost unbeatable on hard difficulty and very hard even on easy, requiring patches to be playable.
- AI is aimbot accurate (weight 0.17): Enemy AI has aimbot accuracy and near-instant reaction, firing with pinpoint precision immediately upon noticing the player.
- Red Square level buggy (weight 0.14): The Red Square driving level is extremely difficult and buggy, with many players unable to complete it.
- Many bugs present (weight 0.1): Numerous bugs are present throughout the game, affecting overall stability and enjoyment.
- No widescreen support (weight 0.1): The game lacks widescreen support, running only at 4:3 aspect ratio and low resolutions like 1024x768.
- Lack of direction (weight 0.1): The game lacks direction and signposting, leaving players confused about where to go.
- Player is too fragile (weight 0.1): The player character is fragile, dying in just a few hits, which increases frustration.
- Limited weapon arsenal (weight 0.09): The weapon arsenal is small with few choices, limiting player options in combat.
- Health carries over (weight 0.09): Health carries over between levels without resetting, leading to unbalanced difficulty progression.
- Confusing weapon swap (weight 0.09): The weapon swap system is confusing, requiring a drop button and making ammo pickup annoying.
- Swimming health drains (weight 0.09): Swimming health drains immediately, and surfacing does not stop damage if underwater, making swimming sections frustrating.
- Escort mission flawed (weight 0.09): The escort mission with Gleb has enemies spawning only when the player progresses, making it poorly designed.
- Friendly AI is stupid (weight 0.09): Friendly AI is moronic and often stands still, contrasting with the overly accurate enemy AI.
- Sound quality is low (weight 0.09): Sound effects are cheap and plastic-sounding with low quality, hurting immersion.

Gameplay feedback:
- High difficulty and punishment (weight 0.34): The game is very difficult, comparable to Souls games, with players dying in a few hits and no health regeneration. Trial and error gameplay with quick save/load abuse is expected.
- First-person shooter gameplay (weight 0.33): The game is an old-school first-person shooter that requires precise aim and features realistic difficulty. It uses cover-based mechanics with low time-to-kill.
- Linear level structure (weight 0.27): Levels are linear corridors with scripted events, similar to early Call of Duty or Metro. The campaign is short and features vehicle chase sequences and escort missions.
- Soviet-era weaponry (weight 0.2): The game features Soviet-era weapons such as the PPSH, AK-47, Dragunov, and Makarov. The setting involves Russian environments and Stalinist enemies.
- Manual saving system (weight 0.18): The game uses manual saving, requiring players to save frequently and memorize enemy placements. Quick retry and quick save/load are essential due to the difficulty.
- No health regeneration (weight 0.17): There is no auto-recovery of health; players must find health packs. Enemies drop first aid kits that restore only 10 HP out of a maximum of 100.
- Atmospheric Soviet setting (weight 0.17): Levels are set in Moscow streets and Red Square, with detailed atmospheric levels. The story involves a female protagonist fighting the Red Army and KGB.
- Stealth and puzzles (weight 0.16): The game includes stealth sequences and puzzle elements, adding variety to the combat-heavy gameplay. Swimming with air pockets is also present.
- Limited weapon loadout (weight 0.14): Players are limited to 3 main weapons and 2 grenades, with the flamethrower occupying a dedicated slot that counts toward the weapon limit. This encourages tactical resource management.
- Enemy AI and swarming (weight 0.14): Enemies swarm with numbers and have perfect reflexes, making combat intense. Escort missions and close-quarters obstacles increase the challenge.
- Bullet ricochet mechanics (weight 0.13): Bullets can ricochet off surfaces, and these ricochets can still cause damage. This adds a tactical layer to combat.
- Detailed damage model (weight 0.13): The damage system is based on body parts: headshots are instant kills, while body hits require 2-5 shots and limbs/feet cause less damage. There is also a critical hit system.
- Old-school aesthetic and sound (weight 0.13): The game has 3D graphics but an old-school plastic sound design. It is reminiscent of Half-Life and Battlefield V war stories in atmosphere.
- WWII shooter elements (weight 0.13): Classified as a WWII shooter, the game features Soviet-era weaponry and Stalinist enemies. It is an action shooter set in the Stalin era.
- Environmental hazards and physics (weight 0.12): Levels contain environmental hazards and physics objects. The game has a physics engine, though vehicles may have bugs such as appearing as only tires in Red Square.
- Multiplayer via LAN only (weight 0.08): Multiplayer is restricted to LAN and requires tunneling software to play over the internet. It is considered a legend in certain regions.
- No iron sights (weight 0.05): Weapons lack iron sights, reinforcing the old-school arcade feel. Shooting relies on crosshair placement rather than aiming down sights.
- Bunny hop and spray (weight 0.05): Players can bunny hop and spray enemies, adding to the arcade-like movement mechanics.
- Keyboard and mouse control (weight 0.05): The game is designed for keyboard and mouse controls, typical of old-school PC shooters.

Performance notes:
- Frequent crashes and freezes (weight 0.25): The game frequently crashes, freezes, or causes system shutdowns, especially when certain settings like background music are enabled. These crashes occur during startup, gameplay, or menu navigation.
- Compatibility issues with old systems (weight 0.2): The game only seems to run on very old systems or Windows XP drivers, and fails to launch on Windows 7 even with compatibility mode. This suggests it is not properly updated for modern operating systems.
- Poor performance and optimization (weight 0.18): Players experience frame drops, lags, and poor overall performance even on high-end hardware like an RTX 4080. The game seems poorly optimized for modern systems.
- Graphics and visual glitches (weight 0.17): Users report graphical issues such as shader/texture flickering, blurry graphics, and resolution changes on launch. These visual problems detract from the experience.
- Music bug causes problems (weight 0.17): Enabling background music causes crashes, freezes, or slow loading times. Some players must disable the music entirely to make the game run properly.
- Needs patch to be playable (weight 0.1): Multiple players state the game requires a patch to fix crashes, bugs, and general unplayability. The current state is considered broken.
- Does not work on many PCs (weight 0.1): Feedback indicates the game does not work on many personal computers, including high-end modern systems and older setups, severely limiting accessibility.
- Long menu loading times (weight 0.06): The menu takes an excessively long time to load, around 2-3 minutes, which indicates major loading or optimization issues.
- Must run in windowed mode (weight 0.05): Some players find the game only runs correctly in windowed mode, possibly as a workaround for compatibility or resolution issues.
- Only supports low resolutions (weight 0.05): The game only supports 4:3 aspect ratio at low resolutions, which is outdated and unsatisfactory for modern displays.
- Crash through walls (weight 0.05): One player reports being killed through walls, indicating a potential combat or collision detection bug.
- Corrupted CFG files (weight 0.05): One player's configuration files are corrupted with emoji characters, which suggests a save or configuration writing bug.

Recommendations:
- Overwhelmingly not recommended (weight 0.39): Many reviewers strongly advise against purchasing the game at all, calling it unplayable or not worth any price.
- Buy only on deep sale (weight 0.29): Several reviewers suggest the game is only worth buying at a heavy discount, such as 1-2 dollars or less.
- Play first part instead (weight 0.17): Multiple reviewers state that the first game is superior and recommend playing it rather than this sequel.
- Needs mods or cheats (weight 0.13): Some players recommend using cheat codes or improvement mods to make the game playable, such as noclip or god mode.
- Too difficult and buggy (weight 0.13): Several reviews highlight high difficulty and bugs as reasons not to recommend the game, especially on hard mode.
- For Cold War history fans (weight 0.13): The game receives some recommendations for players interested in Cold War stories or unusual historical settings.
- Horrible but worth experiencing (weight 0.12): A small number of players find the game so bad it becomes a unique or funny experience, like a campy movie.
- Only for first-game fans (weight 0.1): The game is primarily recommended only for players who enjoyed the first part. New players are advised to skip it.
- Not worth full price (weight 0.09): Several reviewers state the game is not worth its full price and should only be bought on sale.
- Not serious entertainment (weight 0.08): Some reviews suggest the game is only good for a laugh and should not be taken seriously.
- Avoid turret sections and crashes (weight 0.05): Some players specifically warn against buying the game if you dislike turret sections, bouncy physics, crashes, or a terrible story.
- Old system required (weight 0.05): Some notes mention the game needs an older system to run properly, indicating compatibility issues.
- For RPCJ fans only (weight 0.05): The game is recommended only for true fans of the RPCJ series, not for general audiences.
- Nostalgic hardcore experience (weight 0.05): One reviewer recommends playing on hard difficulty for a nostalgic old-school FPS experience.
- Nostalgia for first Metro (weight 0.05): The game is recommended for those feeling nostalgic for the first Metro game, not for newcomers.
- Must-play for some (weight 0.05): A single review calls it a must-play, possibly for fans of the series.
- Better alternatives exist (weight 0.05): One review notes that better games like Deadly Premonition are available for a similar price.
- Install patch and play easy (weight 0.05): A reviewer recommends installing a patch and playing on easy difficulty to have a decent experience.
- Sarcastic recommendation (weight 0.04): A review sarcastically recommends the game to all, indicating severe disappointment.
- For PewDiePie fans (weight 0.04): A single review recommends the game only if you enjoy killing Russians like PewDiePie.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.37): Players reported overwhelming difficulty due to bugs causing progression blocks, enemies spawning behind them, and critically low health throughout the game. Technical issues on modern systems, such as no resolution options and control customization, made the game unplayable, while the vehicle chase and escort missions were described as catastrophic and unfair.
- Disappointment (weight 0.2): Fans of the first Metro game were let down by the sequel's shorter length, worse story and music, and numerous technical issues. The game was considered inferior to the original in many aspects, with poor voice acting, a lack of improvement in gameplay, and failures to live up to its potential despite decent environment art.
- Amusement (weight 0.07): Despite its many flaws, some players found humor in the game's hilariously bad voice acting, poorly translated cutscenes, and funny moments like the protagonist's death sound or discovering smiley faces in game files. The process of trying to launch the game and an error during the end credits were seen as fittingly ironic and amusing.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Some players still enjoyed the game for its old-school FPS feeling, fun multiplayer despite limited maps, and satisfying weapon mechanics that gave a spy-like experience. The car shootout in the Red Square was described as epic and fun, and many found the game engaging despite its flaws.
- Annoyance (weight 0.04): Common annoyances included escorting a slow NPC, enemies that shoot immediately without pause, and a weapon model that obstructs the aiming reticle. Additionally, hard levels with insufficient aid kits and blurry graphics contributed to player irritation.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.04): Players who played the game long ago reported that memories came back after a few minutes, and the game felt like an old-school FPS reminiscent of Half-Life. It was seen as a good memory and a potential enjoyable experience for fans of the first Metro.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Players were infuriated by horrible voice acting, poor hit registration, terrible graphics, and a forced vehicle section. Some experienced repeated computer shutdowns while playing, and being killed without any means at first added to the anger.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Despite low expectations, completing the game provided a sense of satisfaction, aided by satisfying gunplay and charming locales. Players noted that the game prioritizes gameplay over graphics and has good atmosphere and exploration, with some even gradually enjoying the unfairness on Hard difficulty.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Players were surprised that the game somehow became good despite being worse than the first, and the twist ending was described as subtle and catching them off guard. The inability to change resolution resulting in a stretched POV also caught some by surprise.
- Sarcasm (weight 0.02): Sarcastic comments included claiming to recommend a game that does not work or calling the game great after it crashes. These remarks highlighted the ironic contrast between the game's poor state and overly positive praise.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Some players expressed relief that the game is short and over quickly, making it ultimately beatable despite its flaws. The brevity provided a sense of accomplishment without prolonged suffering.
- Interest (weight 0.01): The unique Cold War setting and hidden underground networks sparked interest among players, offering a distinctive backdrop that appealed to those seeking a narrative-driven FPS experience.
- Terror (weight 0.01): The vehicle level was described as causing a primal horror and being almost impossible without a glitch. Its unfair difficulty and buggy mechanics created a terrifying gameplay experience.
- Fear (weight 0.01): The escorted NPC has an execution mechanic that kills the player if they go too far ahead, creating a constant sense of fear and tension during escort missions.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Players felt excitement from tense gunfights and fast retries reminiscent of Half-Life, as well as the premise of playing as a girl killing communists. These elements provided thrilling and engaging moments.
- Mild disappointment (weight 0.01): Some players were mildly disappointed by the game being very short and having a crash bug that detracted from the overall experience, leaving them wanting more content and stability.
- Mild annoyance (weight 0.01): Mild annoyance stemmed from startup issues and a white screen bug that required troubleshooting before playing, adding unnecessary friction to the gaming experience.
- Infuriation (weight 0.01): Players were infuriated by the damage model and instant deaths, which made combat feel unfair and punishing without giving the player a chance to react or strategize.
- Ridicule (weight 0.01): Ridicule came from sarcastic praise of a terrible game, mocking its poor quality through ironic compliments that highlighted its many flaws.
- Discouragement (weight 0.01): One player felt so discouraged that they uninstalled the game after only a few minutes, unable to tolerate its numerous issues and lack of polish.}